What Never Should Be: Ghost Machine
by blucougar57
Summary: Disharmony and conflict threatens the Torchwood Three family when ghosts surface from the past. (Sixth story in the "What Never Should Be" universe.)
1. A Call In The Night

It was just gone midnight, and Ianto found himself tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. He was alone, thanks to Jack having to attend a Heads of Department meeting at Buckingham Palace.

The name was something of a misnomer. 'Departments' really only referred to UNIT and Torchwood and the quarterly meeting was a result of the Queen's diplomatic efforts to encourage at least some degree of civility between the two agencies. Needless to say, Jack wanted the least to do with UNIT as possible. The only reasons he made the effort to attend were the Queen, whom he adored, and Colonel Anderson from UNIT America, for whom he held the utmost respect. Even then, he might not have gone except for the fact that the meeting was being held within the neutral safe zone of Buckingham Palace. It was the only way the Queen had been able to reassure him that he would not fall victim to any of the UNIT commanders, who he maintained still hated and resented him.

Ianto sighed. He wanted to weep at Jack's ongoing mistrust and fear, but he also knew that only time would diminish those concerns. Jack, sadly, had far too many awful memories for those fears and insecurities to be dispelled any time soon.

The conference – for it was really a conference – was scheduled to run for two and a half days. Jack had left for it still grumbling about what UNIT and Torchwood could possibly have to talk about for that long. One day had passed, leaving Ianto left with two full days before Jack came home.

Fortunately, it had come at a time when the rift was relatively quiet. They had a few requisite weevil alerts, a couple of harmless retrievals, and that was about the sum of it. The peace afforded Ianto time to think – not just about Jack but also about the team as well, and their newest recruit in particular.

On the whole, Gwen was doing well and both he and Jack were pleased with her progress. After the disaster that had been her first day, Gwen had settled into a routine of coming into the Hub and spending her mornings studying the Torchwood Charter and procedure manuals before joining one of her colleagues for an afternoon of specialised training. She had not gone into the field again for a full two weeks after the Carys incident, and after that only for simple retrievals that were carefully supervised.

To Ianto's relief and Jack's approval, she'd not complained once about the restrictions, and her willingness to learn from scratch made it easy to teach her the ins and outs of Torchwood. Even more pleasing to Ianto had been learning that she'd gone to Jack and talked with him about what she could and couldn't tell her boyfriend, Rhys. Ianto knew that Jack understood the need to be able to talk in order to relieve tension, and he was happy for Gwen to talk to Rhys, provided she was careful not to let slip any specific details. It was a compromise Gwen had willingly and gratefully taken.

Ianto would not have said so out loud, but he felt quite proud of their new recruit and he knew that, despite initial reservations, Jack felt the same way. She was fitting in well, and though there were still moments when she displayed an annoying tendency to be judgemental of her colleagues, those moments were already becoming fewer and less frequent.

Another instance that had Ianto feeling like a proud parent was what had happened after Jack had given her his customised weapons training. Ianto vividly recalled the day that Jack had trained _him_ to shoot. The up-close-and-personal methods had given him a raging hard-on and had resulted in some pretty heated sex, so he wasn't entirely surprised that Gwen had emerged from her training session looking slightly flustered and somewhat starry-eyed.

He would have been lying to say he hadn't been concerned. More than once, Gwen had shown signs of the beginnings of a crush on Jack, and Ianto couldn't help but worry that she would misconstrue his behaviour.

The tension had lingered for just a couple of days before Gwen had approached him with an unexpectedly pragmatic question.

_"It really doesn't mean anything, does it?" she had asked as Ianto restocked the ammunition. "The flirting, I mean."_

_Ianto had paused in his task to stare at her quizzically._

_"I'm sorry?"_

_Gwen looked embarrassed, but ploughed on regardless._

_"I've been in knots for two days, trying to figure it out. I haven't sorted it all out yet, but I think I've worked out what the deal with Jack and the flirting. It's like a defence mechanism for him, isn't it? I've noticed that the more uncomfortable he is, the more he flirts. But there's nothing to it, is there?"_

_A relieved smile broke out across Ianto's face. Those were the exact sort of observational skills that he wanted her to hone._

_"No, not in terms of him trying to make a score, as Owen might put it."_

_She snorted in amusement, but otherwise didn't interrupt. Ianto went on, still smiling wryly._

_"You're right in that he uses it as a form of defence to protect himself when he's uncomfortable, but he does have a natural tendency to flirt. It's practically a part of his DNA."_

_Gwen peered at him thoughtfully before speaking again._

_"Do you mind me asking, how long have you two been together?"_

_Ianto blinked owlishly, caught off-guard by the unexpected question. Gwen smiled and squeezed his arm in reassurance._

_"Don't worry, I know it's really not my business and I promise I'll mind my own business after this. It's only that I just started paying a bit closer attention after my… you know, my weapons training with Jack, and it is a bit of a giveaway that he hardly ever lets you out of his sight. Besides, I can see it in the way you look at each other. It's pretty obvious that there's something special between you."_

_Ianto had felt a surge of warmth through him, and found himself hoping that Jack would concede to telling her the truth about his past with Torchwood. He honestly believed that she was mature enough to accept it, and him, without negative judgement._

_"It's a little complicated," he'd conceded, "but I would estimate that we've been together as a couple for approximately a year now. I'd known him for around eight months before that. It was something of a slow burn."_

_"Well, I think it's great," she'd said warmly. "Now we just have to work on Tosh and Owen."_

Ianto had nearly choked when she'd said that, but in hindsight he had to concede that she wasn't wrong. There was a definite spark between Tosh and Owen but it was yet to ignite. Tosh was still too introverted to make a move, and Owen was still grieving for Katie.

There was every likelihood that it would happen eventually, but not just yet.

Giving up on his futile efforts to sleep, Ianto got up.

He never slept well when Jack wasn't there, and he knew the sentiment was mutual. Deciding there was little point to moping around the house, Ianto got dressed and headed to the Hub.

* * *

Myfanwy greeted him with a half-hearted squawk from her eyrie when he arrived but other than that and the predictable hum of the Hub's tech, all was quiet. He took the liberty of making himself a nice, strong coffee before settling at his desk to catch up on the paperwork.

If there was one good thing about Jack's absence, it was the opportunity to deal with any excess paperwork that Jack had a tendency to ignore.

He'd been at it for nearly an hour when his mobile phone rang. Ianto rolled his eyes on instinct and in pure exasperation, fully expecting it to be Jack wanting phone sex. After all, the exact same thing had happened the last time Jack had been away from him for more than twelve hours. His surprise was palpable to discover that it was not Jack, but rather Gwen.

"Gwen?" he asked, trying not to feel irritated. He had already been up, after all. "You do realise it's three in the morning?"

"Oh, yes, and believe me, I'm no more thrilled about it than you are," she retorted. "I got a call from Andy, my old partner. He arrested a drunk a short while ago at a pub near the station."

"And that concerns us how?"

"He says the bloke was rambling about Torchwood."

Ianto swallowed an urge to sigh. Torchwood wasn't exactly the all-secret entity that Jack liked to pretend it was, and most Cardiff residents had heard the name Torchwood at some time or other. If nothing else, driving around in a hulking great SUV with 'Torchwood' emblazoned all over it was something of a tell.

"Is that all there was?" he asked as he pulled on his jacket.

"Apparently, he... the bloke, not Andy... Apparently he got into a fight with some kid who was trying to sell something for a quick buck. Andy says it looks like, quote, something from one of our spooky does, unquote."

Ianto rolled his eyes again. Even though Gwen couldn't see the gesture over the phone, it still made him feel better.

"I assume the people in question are being held at Cardiff Police Headquarters?"

"The bloke is. The kid slipped away, according to Andy. He's got the tech, though. He says the bloke managed to snag it before the kid bolted."

Well, that was something, at least, Ianto mused.

"There was one other thing," Gwen added, sounding slightly puzzled now. "Apparently the Torchwood he was ranting about wasn't our Torchwood. It was the one in London."

Ianto's breath caught slightly in his throat.

"Can you meet me there?" he asked her.

"I'll be there in ten."

Ianto grimaced as he ended the call.

"I'll be there in five."

* * *

A thousand scenarios raced through Ianto's mind in the time it took him to reach Cardiff Police Headquarters. The most likely possibility was that it was someone who had lost a loved one at Canary Wharf, or maybe even a survivor. He hoped it was neither, but it wouldn't be the first time if it was.

Twice, Ianto had had to confront a survivor who had found their way to Cardiff base after hearing rumours that it was once again operational. The first time, he'd been spat on and called a traitor; the second time, he'd ended up cradling the young woman in his arms in the middle of the Plass while Jack ushered away both the curious and the concerned alike.

At three in the morning, Ianto fervently hoped it was just a bog-standard drunk that they could disregard, and be done with it.

* * *

Gwen met him on the steps of the Police Headquarters, apology in her eyes.

"Sorry about the early call-out."

He answered with a quick shake of his head.

"You did the right thing, and so did Andy. We need to check it out and make sure there's nothing more to it."

When Gwen hesitated, Ianto felt his stomach drop unpleasantly. The look on her face told him that there was more, and that he was not going to like it.

"All right, Gwen. Come clean."

She flushed noticeably, even in the artificial street light.

"I didn't call you from home," Gwen admitted, admirably holding Ianto's gaze. "I was already here. When Andy called me, I just came straight here. I figured I could check it out, and then let you know if there was anything more to it."

"All right," Ianto conceded. "I would have preferred you called me sooner, but I can understand the logic. Is that all?"

Gwen did drop her gaze, then, and Ianto felt his stomach twist unpleasantly all over again.

"I handled the artifact, and I didn't have gloves on."

"Gwen!" Ianto burst out. "You know better than that!"

"I know," she conceded. "It was stupid, I know. But in my defence, I didn't know if it was alien tech, and Andy was already playing around with the damned thing like it was a kid's toy."

"You aren't helping your case," Ianto warned her. "Where is the tech now?"

She held up a containment bag that was just waiting to be sealed and appropriately labelled.

"It'll have to go back to the Hub for labeling, and I didn't know if you might want a closer look before I sealed it. Look, I know I deserve a kick in the behind for slipping on retrieval protocol, but I didn't forget everything you taught me. It was one slip and yes, I know how disastrous that could have been. If it makes you feel any better, I'll probably have nightmares tonight… or tomorrow night… or whenever."

Ianto paused to take a calming breath before gently squeezing her shoulder.

"No, Gwen. What makes me feel better is knowing that nothing bad happened, and that you'll learn from this and do things more carefully the next time."

A relieved smile turned up the corners of her mouth and she nodded in compliance.

"I will, I promise."

"All right, then. Let's go and see what our mysterious, drunken procurer of alien artefacts has to say."

* * *

They were met inside by Andy Davidson, who was nursing a split lip and the beginnings of a magnificent black eye. Ianto winced at the sight.

"Now I understand why you detained him. Are you all right, PC Davidson?"

Andy nodded as he led them through to the holding cells.

"Nothing a lot of ice and a healthy dose of Scotch won't fix. Your fellow's awake, though heaven only knows how. The man ought to be comatose, with the amount of alcohol that he's got in his body. Anyway, we were just going to let him sit in there until he sobers up, but between that odd little gizmo he had on him and the fact that he keeps ranting about Torchwood, I figured it'd be best to call in you lot."

"Thank you," Ianto said, though it could have been debatable just how thankful he really was. "If you'll show us to him?"

Andy led them through to the holding cells, where the drunks were routinely held until they were considered sober enough to front a magistrate. As they came to a halt in front of one particular cell, Gwen uttered a noise of disgust at the stench of alcohol and vomit that assaulted them.

"Bloody hell, Andy, no wonder you're eager to get rid of this one. That is ripe!"

Ianto said nothing to start with. He stood in silence, observing the man hunched over in the far corner. He could just make out the occasional obscenity attached to the words 'Torchwood' and 'UNIT', and he sensed a very real danger of physical violence that radiated off the incarcerated man.

"Unlock the door," he said finally. "Let me in there."

Not unexpectedly, loud protests came from both Andy and Gwen.

"Don't be bloody stupid, mate!" Andy burst out. "Let him sit in there and sober up. You don't want one of these, do you?"

He indicated his black eye for emphasis, and Ianto smiled grimly.

"I appreciate your concern, PC Davidson, but I think I can assure you that he is actually far less intoxicated than he seems to be. At the very least, he's sober enough to function at a reasonable level of coherency."

"How do you know that?" Andy asked with a frown, even as he reluctantly unlocked the cell door.

"Because," Ianto replied off-handedly, "I've never known an Irishman who couldn't hold his liquor."

Leaving behind two very confused individuals, Ianto entered the cell and crouched down in front of its occupant.

"Hello, Gage," he said quietly.

* * *

_to be continued..._


	2. Late Night Confessions

_Leaving behind two very confused individuals, Ianto entered the cell and crouched down in front of its occupant._

_"Hello, Gage," he said quietly._

Slowly, the other man lifted his head to meet Ianto's concerned gaze. The face was far more gaunt than Ianto remembered but the eyes were exactly the same and they flared now with recognition.

"Ianto... My god, Ianto, is that you? Is it really you?"

Before Ianto could confirm or deny it, Gage had flung himself forward and threw his arms around Ianto in a massive bear hug. It took some effort on Ianto's part not to push him away. The stench of alcohol and other unpleasant aromas was nearly overpowering, and it made the young man's stomach churn.

"Never thought I'd see you again," Gage whispered, clinging to him fiercely. "Oh god, Ianto, I am so sorry."

Ianto swallowed a reflexive urge to tell Gage that it was all right because, in truth, it wasn't – not yet. As much as Jack had often confessed to missing Gage terribly, Ianto really didn't know how Jack would react to seeing him again. It could either be very good... or very, _very_ bad. There was still an awful lot of hurt lingering just beneath the surface, and Ianto could only imagine how Jack would react.

"C'mon, up you get," Ianto murmured. He was quietly glad that he'd opted to dress in old clothes for his night-time sojourn into the Hub. It was highly doubtful that the stench surrounding Gage would be easily gotten rid of, given that it was at least partly due to malnutrition, and Ianto could already sense it permeating his clothes.

"Where are we going?" Gage asked softly and, for a split second, Ianto was struck by a vivid memory of himself in a car with Jack as they drove away from Torchwood One in the dead of night.

"We're going home. You can clean yourself up there, have something to eat and get some sleep, if you can. We'll talk tomorrow when you have a clear head."

Somewhere behind him, Ianto heard Andy make a derisive noise.

"Be a week before that one has a clear head."

Gage glared past Ianto to Andy.

"I'll have you know that I've never had a hang-over in my life! I'm Irish and I know how to hold my liquor, not like some little Welsh upstart!"

"All right," Ianto muttered, even as Andy bristled in irritation at the jibe. "Let's not start a pissing contest, shall we? Andy, do we need to do anything? Paperwork, or the like?"

"No," Andy conceded in exasperation. "Since the kid he was fighting with did a runner and the publican doesn't want to press charges, he's free to go. Just get him sober and keep him out of trouble, please?"

Ianto smiled wryly as he guided his old friend out of the cell.

"I'll do my best."

* * *

"Gwen," Ianto said as they exited the building, "the piece of tech needs to be secured at the Hub. Can you do that? I'll log it properly in the morning."

"Sure," she agreed, her attention wandering to Gage. "Ianto, who is he? How do you know him?"

"He's an old friend of mine and Jack's," Ianto answered. "Someone that neither of us has seen for a long while. I'll explain what I can tomorrow, all right?"

If his tone was short, she never reacted, except to smile and nudge him lightly.

"I think you mean later this morning. It already is tomorrow."

Ianto grimaced.

"Goddess, you're right. Look, if you can secure the tech and leave a message for Owen and Tosh, go home and don't worry about coming back in until eleven. I expect I'll be in around noon, once I've had a chance to talk with Gage."

"So... You'll be bringing him back to the Hub, then? It wouldn't be a security risk?"

Ianto shook his head. He felt mildly annoyed at the lightly probing questions, but reminded himself that they were also perfectly legitimate queries. He decided that it wouldn't hurt to offer just a titbit of information, hoping it would satisfy her for the time being.

"Gage is Torchwood, Gwen. He was with Torchwood London long before I was ever recruited there, so no, it's not a security breach. Besides, once he sobers up properly, he might recall more about that tech he was so anxious to get hold of. I'm sorry, I can't tell you anything more right now."

"It's fine," she murmured and though he could tell her curiosity was not yet satisfied, she clearly was not going to push the matter further. For that, he was immensely grateful. "Don't worry about the tech. I'll take care of it, I promise."

He made no effort to hide his relief.

"Thank you."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, he was ushering Gage into his and Jack's home, his mind already calculating what he would need to buy for his old friend.

"Think you can manage a shower without keeling over?" he asked, feeling just slightly mollified by the abashed look on Gage's face.

"I'm really not that drunk, you know."

"No? By whose standards?"

"Fair point," Gage muttered. "Yes, I can shower safely."

"All right, then. I'll find something for you to wear. I hope you're not attached to anything you have on, because it's all going into the furnace, the first chance I get. In the meantime, there's a blue robe hanging up in the bathroom that you can wear. The bathroom is just down that hall, second door on the left. Take as long as you need and I'll have some food and coffee ready for you later."

Gage started towards the bathroom, only to pause and look back at Ianto.

"Was he all right, Ianto? After I left, I mean."

Ianto wasn't inclined to sugar-coat his response, and he didn't even try.

"No," he answered bluntly. "He wasn't all right. He blamed himself and it took me a long time to get him to accept that he wasn't at fault."

Gage looked stricken.

"Ianto..."

"Get cleaned up, Gage. We'll have time to talk later."

* * *

Ianto had often envisaged his and Jack's reunion with Gage Adams. From the time their friend and fellow conspirator had left the TARDIS, right up until very recently, Ianto had imagined a joyful reunion. In none of his imaginings had he considered that he might feel anything but relief at Gage's return. As he stood in the kitchen, though, preparing a supper of toasted sandwiches and coffee, he realised that the only emotion he could feel right then was anger.

Anger at Gage for leaving without a word of explanation; anger that it had been left to him to try and make the then still-childlike Jack understand that he'd done nothing wrong; anger at the sheer bloody cruelty in Gage's actions – intended or otherwise.

Right then, Ianto was struggling to find anything positive in Gage's sudden reappearance and that thought alone made him sick to his stomach.

Ianto was still standing there, brooding in silence, when Gage emerged, clean and wearing the blue robe that Ianto had suggested he use.

"All clean," he said with a half smile that in no way hid his nervousness. Ianto looked him up and down with critical appraisal. Somehow, the man's cleanliness only seemed to accentuate his gauntness even worse.

"I've made some toasties," he said finally. "I don't have much else in the house, I was intending to do a shop tomorrow."

Gage eyed Ianto warily. The younger man's harsh tone hadn't escaped his attention.

"You're angry at me."

It wasn't a question, and Ianto was too tired to even attempt to deny it.

"Yes," he confirmed. "I am."

Gage nodded grimly.

"I figured you would be." He spread his arms wide. "All right, let's have it."

Ianto didn't waste his breath asking what Gage meant. He already knew, and it was all he needed for the emotional dam to burst.

"You left him! You stupid, selfish son of a bitch, you left _us_! He cried for days after you left and it took months for me to make him accept that it wasn't his fault!"

"God, Ianto, I am so sorry. I guess I wasn't thinking straight at the time, but I really thought I was doing the best thing for everyone."

"How?" Ianto demanded incredulously. "In what parallel existence could you call just disappearing without a trace the best thing?"

Gage looked uncomfortably at Ianto.

"It actually was kind of stupid when I stopped to think it over, but by then it was too late. I didn't have any way to contact you and I didn't dare go back to Britain because of UNIT..."

"Gage!" Ianto interrupted. "For God's sake, stop babbling and spit it out."

The Irishman shut his eyes for a moment, and Ianto could see him attempting to regroup before speaking again.

"The day you visited your parents and you left us to look after Jack... Did you ever happen to find out what happened that made him so hysterical?"

Ianto didn't have to think very hard to remember. He vividly recalled the discomforting 'birds and the bees' talk he'd had to have with Jack that had ended up being part and parcel of his efforts to reassure Jack that he'd done nothing wrong to drive Gage away.

"I seem to recall something about him getting an erection, and you having a momentary lapse of common sense... Oh, bloody hell, Gage, don't tell me you decided to bugger off because of that?"

To his credit, Gage had the decency to look thoroughly embarrassed.

"Told you it'd sound stupid."

It was Ianto's turn to shut his eyes, willing himself to calm down. With the history they shared, he could concede that Gage at least deserved a chance to explain himself properly. Also, Ianto hoped that if he understood Gage's reasoning, then he might have a chance at stemming any anger Jack might experience.

"All right, Gage," he said finally with careful and deliberate calm. "Talk to me. I want to understand, so talk to me."

Gage sighed and slumped back on the couch.

"The only reason Jack ever trusted me was because you told him that he could."

Ianto frowned.

"At first, maybe, but you still earned his trust in your own right."

"It was always a pretty fragile thing, though. I nearly lost it when he was poisoned, remember?"

"That wasn't your fault. Jack understood that once he'd recovered enough for me to explain it to him."

"Maybe, but it didn't help, either. Then there was that day with the cold shower business. I really messed up badly with that and you can't argue that I didn't."

"No," Ianto conceded, "but at the same time, all it needed was for us to explain it to Jack once he'd calmed down. There must be more to it than this."

"Ianto," Gage said in a soft, strained voice, "my idiocy nearly got you killed. How could I possibly stay on the TARDIS with you after that?"

Ianto felt the starkly unpleasant sensation of bile rising in his throat.

"You mean UNIT? You think that was your fault? You can't be serious!"

The haunted expression on Gage's face told Ianto that he was utterly serious.

"If I hadn't done what I did, then Jack wouldn't have gotten spooked and gone looking for you. He wouldn't have panicked when you weren't there and UNIT would never have known he was there."

Ianto couldn't help himself. He began to laugh, hard. Discomfort and confusion crossed Gage's face at the other man's reaction.

"What's so funny?"

"Sorry," Ianto said in a strained voice. "But if I don't laugh, I reckon I'll probably cry. You're an idiot, Gage. I'm sorry, but you are. You're a complete and utter bloody fool. If you'd just waited long enough for me to recover so we could talk, I would have been able to tell you that it wasn't your fault. In fact, it might just have saved my life."

"I don't understand..."

"Listen to me, Gage. UNIT had been in contact with my family after Canary Wharf fell. They told them that I'd been abducted by a monster that escaped from Torchwood One, and to let them know if they heard from me. My father did just that after I called them the first time from the TARDIS. UNIT had surveillance on the house when we arrived that day. As for what happened, it wouldn't have mattered even if Jack had stayed safely inside the TARDIS. He wasn't their primary target that day. _I_ was."

Gage gaped at him in shock.

"You?"

"That's right. If Jack had still been in the TARDIS when I left my parents' house, I would have either been captured by UNIT, or I would have been shot dead. I'm tipping it would have been the latter."

"Bloody hell," Gage muttered. "Well, now I really do feel like a right fool."

Ianto smiled wryly. Even though he didn't agree with it, he at least now understood Gage's reasoning and felt that he would have a good chance at helping Jack to understand as well.

"So now, the only question is why the Doctor didn't tell you any of that at the time."

"Don't blame him," Gage said ruefully. "He tried to tell me that I wasn't seeing the complete picture but I wouldn't listen. I was so sure that I'd messed up irreparably that I didn't want to hear it. Even though he told me you'd be okay, it wasn't enough. I just couldn't bring myself to wait long enough to face you."

"Damn it, Gage," Ianto said, but there was no heat in his tone.

"I know, I know. I'm a bloody idiot. I just hope he'll forgive me. Where is he, anyway? Did he stay with the Doctor?"

A small smile touched Ianto's lips as he remembered that Gage had left before Jack's mental and emotional restoration had happened.

"No, we live here together. Jack's in London at the moment, though. He'll be home the day after tomorrow. That is, unless he throws a tantrum and storms out of the conference he's at, which is entirely possible."

"So the Doctor did it, then?" Gage asked, hope lighting up his face. "He helped Jack get his memories back?"

"Yeah, he did," Ianto confirmed softly. "His memories, and then some. We needed you, Gage. Jack needed you. We hit some pretty rough waters for a while, and we could have both done with having you there to help."

"I am so sorry, Ianto," Gage whispered. "I just never imagined that either of you might need me that much. You... You're all right, though, aren't you?"

"We are," Ianto said. "It's just been a difficult road."

"And now here you are... Have to say, though, I'm kind of stunned that you settled here. I mean, right on the doorstep of Torchwood Three? That must be pretty difficult for Jack, and if the Powers That Be ever decide to make the base operational again, you might have some real trouble on... What? What's wrong?"

Ianto shook his head, acutely aware of the baffled look on Gage's face, as opposed to the amused look he imagined was probably on his own face.

"Sorry, nothing's wrong. I just forgot that you don't know. Torchwood Three _is_ operational again, Gage. Jack and I are in charge."

The expression on Gage's face was comical in its sheer astonishment.

"You're bloody having me on!"

"No, I'm not, I promise you. Jack is now the Director of Torchwood, by decree of Her Majesty the Queen."

Gage laughed long and hard, and his utter delight brought a grin back to Ianto's face as well.

"Oh, that's bloody brilliant, that is!" Gage exclaimed. "Absolutely fucking brilliant! He's gone from being Torchwood's resident test subject to the head bloody honcho! I bet that well and truly put the proverbial cat among the pigeons with those poncy UNIT bastards!"

"Some of them resented it," Ianto conceded, "but fortunately most were willing to accept Jack. One in particular, Colonel Tom Anderson of UNIT America, has been brilliant. He stepped in to help when one of our team was being threatened by another UNIT official, and he's given us his full support all the way along. Jack would cheerfully do anything he asked, within reason, and so would I."

"Well, that's something," Gage murmured. "Still, it's hard to believe that the two of you are running Torchwood now! What does the Doctor think about it?"

Ianto snorted.

"The sneaky sod planned it with the Queen herself. We have a whole new charter now, Gage. No more of that old rubbish about the Doctor being our enemy, and none of that 'if it's alien, it's ours' bullshit. We defend against hostiles, assist friendlies and we only kill when there is absolutely no alternative. It's a different era now, Gage. It's how Torchwood was always meant to operate."

Gage raised an eyebrow in bemusement.

"Sounds like you're putting a sales pitch to me, lad."

Ianto smiled faintly. He hadn't actually been thinking along those lines but once Gage had put the idea in his head, he knew there was no getting rid of it.

"Would you be interested?"

Silence met the question, and a thoughtful and slightly melancholy look filled Gage's face.

"Well, I don't have too many other options open to me at the moment. Got to say I'm a little amused, though. Never thought for a second that I'd potentially end up working for Torchwood again, not in a month of Sundays."

"There are worse places to be now," Ianto pointed out gently. And there was that melancholic look again.

"I know, lad. Believe me, I know."

Ianto gazed at Gage curiously before venturing a question.

"The Doctor said you'd asked to go home. I assume you meant Ireland?"

"I did, yes."

"So what brought you back here? I assume something happened."

"Something did," Gage answered somewhat evasively. "But I'd rather not talk about it yet, if you don't mind. I know I need to be honest with you, but I don't especially want to have to tell this story more than once."

Ianto could certainly understand the sentiment.

"Fair enough. We'll wait until Jack gets home. Damn, he's going to be glad to see you, Gage."

Gage smiled wistfully.

"I'll be glad to see him again, too. I really will."

* * *

_ to be continued..._


	3. Sober Meetings

It was past noon when Ianto and Gage finally headed to Roald Dahl Plass, and the Torchwood Three Hub. Gage had been awake just after nine that morning, but the need to buy him new clothes took precedence. After all, the man was too stocky to fit into anything of Ianto's, and too short to be comfortable in anything of Jack's. In the end, he'd worn a pair of Jack's sweat pants, an old tee-shirt and joggers for the quick jaunt to one of the shopping centres nearby to find something adequate until they could do a proper shop.

As they crossed the Plass and headed for the tourist information centre that was the front for one of the Hub's entrances, Ianto couldn't help smiling faintly at the sight of Gage admiring the expensive new clothes.

"You look like you've never had new clothes before," Ianto teased lightly. A slightly pained look flickered across Gage's face.

"Well, it's been a while... as you probably gathered from what I was wearing last night. I don't have a penny to my name, Ianto. I had no money for food, let alone clothes. This... You have no idea how much I appreciate it."

Ianto gazed at his friend critically as he unlocked the tourist office door down on the pier.

"You are going to tell me and Jack everything, Gage. I want to know how you ended up practically destitute. You were a senior archivist for Torchwood, for crying out loud! That should have gotten you a job in any reputable institution, even if you couldn't explain to them what your job at Torchwood actually entailed."

"Don't start with me, Ianto," Gage growled. "You didn't see what it was like after Canary Wharf. I left the TARDIS soon enough afterwards, and I _did_ see. The name of Torchwood was poison pretty much everywhere, and there was still the issue of UNIT. They weren't just looking for you and Jack. They had their sights on me, as well. They were after anyone who walked away from Canary Wharf, by whatever means, but I learned through the grapevine that they were especially interested in me because they'd somehow found out that I'd left with you, Jack and the Doctor. You have no idea how long I'd been on the run before I landed here in Cardiff. When they found out that I was... well, Earth-bound, they came after me with the proverbial guns blazing."

Ianto frowned, baffled.

"They shouldn't have even known you were with us. I saw the post Canary Wharf list, and you were listed as missing. I never corrected it, because I knew you were okay... except, you obviously weren't okay, were you?"

"You know now that I was pretty messed up when I left you lads," Gage conceded. "Let's just say that my state of mind didn't exactly help me when I went home." He paused, looking around in sudden amusement. "This is your front? A bloody tourist office?"

Ianto smiled wryly. He saw the diversionary tactic for what it was, and chose not to call Gage on it. He clearly was not yet ready to talk further, and Ianto wasn't going push the issue. Just as long as he understood that when Jack got home, there would be no getting out of it.

"It suits our purposes. I even manage to open it for a few hours, a few days each week, to avoid any real suspicion. There is another entrance, but it's too busy on the Plass at the moment to use it, even with the perception filter." He leaned behind the desk and hit the button that opened the secret door in the stone wall. "This way. Oh, before we go down, I need to warn you. We have three other team members at the moment. There's our tech and computer expert, Toshiko Sato; our medic, Owen Harper and our new trainee, Gwen Cooper. They all know that Jack can't die but where Tosh and Owen know about Jack's history with Torchwood, Gwen doesn't. He hasn't told her yet, so don't go blurting anything out. And the other thing is that Gwen doesn't know that the rest of us know about Jack's inability to stay dead."

Gage raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Sounds like he doesn't trust her very much."

"It's partly that. She used to work for the Cardiff Police as a constable, and you know what Jack is like when it comes to anyone in authority."

"I do recall his animosity, yes," Gage said dryly.

"Well, that hasn't improved much, and it took some time for him to accept she has potential as a Torchwood agent. He doesn't fully trust her yet, though, and he decided he'd use his immortality as a test. If she lasts another few weeks without giving anything away, then he'll consider telling her more. But for now..."

"I understand," Gage assured Ianto. "My lips are sealed. But how are you going to explain me?"

Ianto shrugged.

"Gwen knows Jack and I were both at Torchwood London. She just doesn't know that Jack was a prisoner there. I've already told her that you're an old colleague from One. Tosh and Owen have heard about you from Jack, but they both know to be careful about what they say around Gwen."

Gage frowned as he followed Ianto down the stairs.

"This could come back to bite you both, you know. She's not going to be happy when she finds out that everyone else already knows these big secrets that she thought only she was privy to."

"I know," Ianto agreed. "I agree with you, but this is Jack's decision, and I don't feel that I have the right to be dictating who he should or shouldn't have to tell his own story to."

"It's your story too, mate."

"Not the same, Gage. Not even in the same dimension."

Gage shook his head as they came to an enormous, round metal door.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Ianto activated the door, and it rolled open with a wail of an alarm that cut off very abruptly once they were through and the door had closed again behind them. Gage eyed the door grimly.

"Noisy entrance you've got. No fear of surprise assaults there."

Ianto chuckled as he led Gage across the floor.

"The invisible lift is much quieter. Also not so great for anyone with vertigo." He looked around as his three colleagues approached with varying looks of curiosity. "Gage, this is Dr Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato, and you met Gwen Cooper last night – if you remember last night."

"I told you, I wasn't that drunk," Gage growled. Ianto ignored him.

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce Gage Adams. He was a friend of mine and Jack's from Torchwood One in London. He survived the Canary Wharf invasion along with us, and he's come to Cardiff in the hope of making a fresh start."

Owen snorted.

"Join the club, mate."

Gage glanced questioningly at Ianto, who shook his head minutely to warn the Irishman off asking any questions. Sufficiently warned, he turned his gaze to the two women, and his face lit up at the sight of Toshiko.

"Well, now, here's an absolute sight for sore eyes," he all-but purred, taking great delight in the deep blush that suffused Tosh's cheeks, as well as the obvious jealousy on Owen's face.

"All right," Ianto growled. "No need to try and give Jack a run for his money."

While Gage grinned, Gwen took the opportunity to ask one of the many questions she'd had on her mind since Ianto had taken responsibility for Gage the previous night.

"Are you going to be joining us permanently, Gage?"

"I don't know yet," Gage answered. "But, I like to think I can keep my mind open to the possibilities. And there do seem to be many of those here!"

His attention was once again on Tosh as he answered, and she blushed even more deeply than before. Ianto rolled his eyes. Jack would either be proud as punch, or insanely jealous. He didn't know which he preferred.

"Gwen, did you do as I asked with the tech last night?"

She nodded.

"Yes. I brought it straight back here and put it in a containment box, labelled it and left it for Tosh along with a note."

"It was here on my desk when I got in this morning," Tosh confirmed. "Just between us, Jack could take a lesson or two from Gwen about how to label things clearly. It took me an hour to decipher his last label."

Ianto refrained from commenting on that. He knew Jack's handwriting looked like drunken spider legs, but that was much because he had spent so long not using that skill that he had all but forgotten how to do it. He was effectively still learning how to write again, and it wasn't easy in the slightest.

"That tech was acquired by Gage from a young lad who was trying to sell it on. Gage, go with Toshiko, and see if, between the two of you, you can't work out what it's supposed to do."

"Actually," Gage said, "I might be able to shed a little bit of light on that before we start poking and prodding."

Ianto's expression hardened fractionally.

"I'm going to be annoyed, aren't I?"

"Probably," he conceded. "Look, my little altercation didn't start in that pub, it started at the train station. I spotted the kid with the tech, and saw him trying to sell it to a couple of mug punters. He was asking too much for it, though, and couldn't get rid of it. I approached him and tried to make out like I was an interested buyer, except I think my appearance at the time went against me. He went as far as to let me have a look at it, though, and it triggered while I was holding it."

"What did it do?" Ianto asked with a frown.

"Not a lot, admittedly, except it was like it took me back in time. I was still at the station, but I was watching this little boy... looked like he was a World War evacuee... wandering around looking lost and saying he wanted to go home. It felt like I was connected to him. I could _feel_ his fear and uncertainty so clearly. It was almost like I _was_ him. Then the kid snatched the device back and hoofed it across the road to the pub. I didn't want to let him get away, so I went after him and caught him up in the pub. You probably know the rest from that point on."

"So, it's like some kind of time machine?" Gwen wondered.

"Not in the literal sense," Gage said. "More like a kind of psychic device. It was like wearing one of those holographic goggle things. I felt like I was transported back in time, but I never actually went anywhere."

"I think we get it," Ianto murmured. "Tosh, if you could do an examination of the device, we'll look into finding the lad that Gage got the device from."

"Why?" Gwen asked with a slight frown that told Ianto her thoughts had immediately gone to the welfare of the boy that Gage had taken the tech from. "We have the device. Why do we need to find him?"

"Two reasons," Owen explained before Ianto had a chance to say anything. "We need to know whether the kid used the device, and we need to know whether he has anything else that he shouldn't have. Either way, we'll probably have to retcon him."

Gwen's frown deepened.

"I don't like the way we use that stuff."

"It's an unfortunate necessity," Ianto pointed out, experiencing a mixture of frustration and pride. He'd already explained to her more than once why they used retcon, but at the same time he was pleased that she retained her natural concern for the people that Torchwood dealt with. Just privately, he knew that Jack felt the same way, even if he would never admit it. "We try to be as sparing as possible with it, but sometimes it is necessary."

"I know," she conceded. "I do understand. I just don't like it."

Ianto smiled reassuringly at her.

"Duly noted. Now, to work, people. I expect we'll have a lot of ground to cover to find the young man in question. Jack will be home the day after tomorrow, and it would be good if we could have this sorted out by then."

As he spoke, though, he couldn't help but feel like he'd just jinxed them in the worst possible way.

* * *

_ to be continued..._


	4. A Much Anticipated Reunion

A/N: Sincerest apologies for the extreme delay in writing and posting this chapter - real life has been an absolute bitch to me over the last few months.

* * *

Jack sat in the first class carriage of the Cardiff-bound train, his greatcoat wrapped around him like a protective cocoon, oblivious to his surroundings. He never heard the conductor asking for his ticket, or felt the ticket being tugged gently out of his hand. He never so much as glanced up when the attendant went past with the refreshment trolley, offering tea, coffee and biscuits. He never heard his travelling companion request a coffee on his behalf.

He did notice, however, when a gentle hand closed over his own and a steaming coffee was held under his nose. Slowly, he looked up and was met by a smiling face that was tinged strongly with sympathy and understanding.

"Here, Jack. Drink this. It's not Ianto's coffee, but it might take the edge of the shock."

Wordlessly, with hands that trembled badly, Jack accepted the cup that the Brigadier held out to him. As he took a sip, the Brigadier rubbed his back in a soothing, paternal gesture.

"Good lad."

"I'm sorry," Jack whispered. "I really made a mess of things. Ianto will be disappointed. And Her Majesty..."

"Understands fully," a second voice said firmly.

"I let her down," Jack argued miserably. "She went to all that trouble, and I let her down."

"No, you did not," General Tom Anderson assured him. "You didn't make a mess of it at all. What happened today wasn't your fault and, quite honestly, I think you showed remarkable restraint."

The incredulous look on Jack's face said all too clearly that he believed otherwise.

"I put a UNIT chief in the hospital. How can that be anything but bad?"

"Jack, listen to me," Anderson told him seriously. "Mednikov played up to you all yesterday to try and gain your trust and then he tricked you into going with him on that so-called city tour today, and instead took you to the one place in London that you have every right and reason not to want to go anywhere near."

"Canary Wharf," Jack whispered, his breath hitching a little in his throat. Anderson grasped his shoulder in a reassuring grip.

"He thought taking you to _that_ place was a joke. The fact that all you did was to break the man's jaw and give him a concussion is astonishing, and suggests you have a hell of a lot more self control than he did."

"I'm sorry," Jack whispered again, starting to retreat into himself once more.

"No, Jack," the Brigadier said sternly. "Don't go disappearing into your head again. We're not far from Cardiff, and I don't care to explain to Ianto why you're catatonic."

Jack sighed audibly but ceased his psychological retreat, instead focussing on the coffee in his hands.

"This is... awful!" he exclaimed, wrinkling his nose but taking another sip all the same. Anderson raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"I didn't think it was that bad."

"You haven't had coffee made by Ianto," the Brigadier retorted. "After his coffee, nothing else will ever be good enough again. Even I drink coffee when I visit, though he makes a pretty damn good cup of tea, as well."

Jack snorted in amusement but when he looked back up at the men, his gaze was full of worry.

"Is Ianto meeting us at the station?"

"No, Miss Sato will be there," Anderson said. "Ianto is out with the rest of your team. I didn't get much in the way of details, just something about looking for a kid who was trying to sell alien tech. I gather they wanted to be sure that whatever he had was it. So, it's just Miss Sato who will meet us."

"I don't know whether to be relieved or not," Jack muttered. The Brigadier's hand on his back was reassuring in its strength.

"You have nothing to be concerned about. You acted in self-defence, Jack. No one faults you for the way you reacted, and the Queen is furious that you were deceived like that."

"But the conference..."

"Is of less consequence than your wellbeing. She was insistent that Anderson and I accompany you back to Cardiff, and see you safely back to your people, and she wanted us to let you know that she will be dealing with Mednikov personally once he's sufficiently recovered. You won't suffer any backlash from this."

Jack stared bleakly at his hands.

"I just thought I had better control than that."

"You could easily have killed him," Anderson pointed out. "I think that's proof that you do have pretty good control."

It was painfully obvious, though, that Jack was not going to be persuaded, and both Anderson and the Brigadier eventually gave up trying. They both knew, without it needing to be said, that Ianto Jones was the only one who would be able to break through Jack's misery and convince him of the bleeding obvious. With that thought in mind, both willed the train to arrive in Cardiff as soon as possible.

* * *

Tosh watched anxiously as the London train pulled into Cardiff Central Station. She'd gotten the call from General Anderson from UNIT that he and the Brigadier were bringing Jack home from the London conference a day early and though he'd not really been specific, she gathered something had gone badly. She'd tried to reach Ianto to let him know, but Owen had been the one to respond to her call and for some reason Tosh didn't want anyone else to know ahead of Ianto that Jack was on his way back to Cardiff.

In the end, she'd said that she had to leave the Hub for an hour or so, but would be available on the comms. Now, she waited as passengers disembarked, watching for her Captain and his travelling companions.

The Brigadier emerged first. Tosh had never actually met him, but she knew him well enough by reputation. General Anderson appeared next, and finally Jack emerged. Tosh's heart clenched. He looked shattered and in that moment she wanted nothing more than to run over and hug him fiercely. Whatever had happened, it must have been significant.

"Toshiko," Anderson greeted warmly her as she made her way over to them. She answered his greeting with an equally warm smile. Since his part in saving her brother from another vindictive former UNIT commander, she'd been in regular contact with him and it often proved quite an enjoyable exchange. Indeed, he was the only UNIT official who she could handle communicating with – either directly or remotely.

"General Anderson," she returned his greeting. "Thank you so much for bringing Jack home."

"My pleasure," he said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm afraid it's not in the best of circumstances, though.

Her gaze flickered past him to where the Brigadier stood with Jack, one hand on his shoulder and all the while speaking to him in a low voice.

"Is he all right?"

"Not yet," Anderson said honestly. "He will be, but right now he's still getting over a pretty nasty shock. Let's go and find somewhere to sit and have a cup of coffee, and we'll do our best to explain."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, they were ensconced in a little cafe with fresh coffee while Anderson and the Brigadier explained what had happened.

"The head of UNIT Russia is a drop-kick," Anderson said bluntly. "He's fond of the bottle and he is a narcissistic personality with a cruel sense of humour. He spent all yesterday doing everything he could to weasel his way into Jack's good books. Then this morning, he offered to take Jack for a drive around the city for a bit of sight-seeing. It wasn't until he came back alone with a broken jaw and one hell of a concussion that we found out that what he'd actually done was to take Jack back to Canary Wharf."

"Oh no," Tosh whispered in dismay.

"Exactly," Anderson confirmed. "Naturally, Jack objected. A bit of a scuffle broke out and Jack bolted. Took us the better part of the morning to find him."

Tosh caught Jack's eyes and in the moment before he dropped his gaze again, she recognised shame in his face and demeanour.

"I shouldn't have run away. Ianto's going to be mad."

Tosh reached across and gently covered his hand with her own. She could hear the beginnings of childish inflection in his tone, and that alone told her how badly he'd been affected. The childish persona only ever surfaced when he was badly traumatised or deeply upset about something.

"No, he won't, Jack. Not when he hears what happened."

To her quiet concern, Jack didn't answer. She looked worriedly to the Captain's two travel companions and saw equal concern in their expressions.

"Toshiko," Anderson said quietly, "can we contact Ianto? I think Jack needs him."

Tosh nodded in agreement.

"I think you're right." She paused, her thoughts going briefly to Gage, who was currently out with Ianto, Gwen and Owen. Part of her wanted to tell Jack about him, but Ianto had already expressed quiet concern to her about how Jack might react to Gage's reappearance. With that in mind, she decided that not only did she need to leave that particular challenge to Ianto, she also needed to try and forewarn Ianto so that he had at least a chance to broker a peaceful reunion.

"Perhaps we should take Jack home...?"

At that, Jack's head came up and he spoke firmly.

"No, I'll be fine. We'll head to the Hub." He looked around at Anderson and the Brigadier and smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Neither of you gentlemen have seen the Hub since Ianto and I took over. Care to come have a look-see?"

"Why not?" Anderson said with a grin. "There's no hurry to get back to London."

"Great," Jack enthused. "Let's get going, then."

As they left the coffee shop, Tosh couldn't help but wonder whether General Anderson and the Brigadier were about to be treated to more than just the tour of the Hub that they were expecting.

* * *

Tosh tried to reach Ianto again on the way to Roald Dahl Plass, and was immensely grateful when the individual in question responded.

"_Tosh?_" Ianto's voice came over the earpiece, and it was all Tosh could do not to breathe a sigh of relief. "_Where are you?_"

"Ianto, I'm on my way back to the Hub now. Jack's with me, along with the Brigadier and General Anderson."

The momentary silence that met her words spoke louder than any immediate verbal response that Ianto could have made. When he spoke, there was a distinct forced calm that had Tosh wanting to cringe at. It was a definite tone that said "there had better be a damned good explanation forthcoming or someone is going to be in a lot of trouble".

"_We're on our way back as well. We should be there in approximately twenty minutes. See you soon._"

The communications cut out abruptly.

"He's mad, isn't he?" Jack asked in a small voice. Tosh smiled gently at him.

"No, not mad. Just concerned."

It wasn't strictly the truth, but Tosh knew that once Ianto heard the full story, any anger he had would be directed where it belonged – at the head of UNIT Russia. She just hoped fervently that he would give them a chance to explain.

* * *

By the time they arrived back at the Hub, it was obvious to all that Jack was close to breaking point. His flamboyance had increased massively but the real tell was when he all-but begged Toshiko to give their guests the guided tour, using the excuse that he had important emails to send.

Tosh knew that, given he hadn't been due back until the next day, there would be no one expecting contact from him. Secondly, she knew how much Jack loved showing off the Hub. It was something he rarely had the opportunity to do and she would have thought he'd pounce on the chance to show it off to two men whom he had the utmost respect for. The fact that he was asking her to show them around told her how much of a toll the strain was finally taking on him.

He needed to get away from being the centre of attention and that, too, was a big tell – Jack normally relished being the centre of attention.

"C'mon, gentlemen," Tosh said, offering Jack a reassuring smile. "I'll give you the grand tour."

Jack waited until they had turned from him before hurrying to his office. The door had barely closed behind him before the tears came in a flood. He stumbled to his chair and sank into it, reaching blindly for the toy dog that sat on his desk and cuddling it fiercely to his chest. It was a poor substitute for the comfort he craved from Ianto, but it offered some small reassurance nonetheless.

This was the first time since the incident had happened that he'd lost control of his emotions. Oh, he'd been in a real state immediately afterwards, no doubt about it. However, by the time the Brigadier had found him down in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral, he'd managed to recover enough to regain control and mask the worst of his distress. From that point on, he'd descended into a state of semi-shock, unable to properly process the fact that a UNIT chief had actually attempted to do the very thing that he feared most – lock him back up inside Torchwood Tower.

Even as a supposed joke, it still sent shockwaves through him.

Jack shut his eyes tightly, but it did nothing to dispel the panic and terror that rent him at his basest levels. The moment his eyes closed, he was back in that car, locks enabled to prevent him from jumping out, and watching with growing terror as the now empty shell that was Torchwood Tower grew closer. And all the while, General Filip Mednikov had talked with utter seriousness about how it had been decided in a clandestine meeting that he was a freak and needed to be locked up for the good of mankind.

He rubbed at his elbow unconsciously. When the car had gotten within a hundred metres of the tower, Jack had finally snapped. He'd punched Mednikov so hard that the man's jaw had shattered. The driver had, at that point, stopped the car and started to turn around to help his boss. Jack had been in a blind panic by then, though, and he'd smashed the window of the vehicle with his elbow. It had been broken badly but for once, he barely felt it. After punching the driver to prevent him from shooting, Jack finally managed to get his door open and bolted.

He didn't stop running until he found himself on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral. After just a moment's hesitation, he ventured inside and that was where the Brigadier had found him nearly four hours later.

Jack buried his face in the toy dog. He was fighting a losing battle against the shock and fear of the morning's events and more than anything, he wanted to retreat back within his own mind, and let child-Jack surface once more. He was right on the cusp of doing just that when a hand alighted gently on his shoulder, and another cupped his cheek. His eyes opened reluctantly; he was loathed to see the expected disappointment in his Ianto's eyes. It came as a shock, then, that it wasn't Ianto at all that he found himself staring at.

"Gage," Jack whispered, his eyes wide with shock. Gage smiled sadly at Jack.

"Hello, sweetheart."

With a guttural sob, Jack collapsed against his old friend, wrapping his arms around him in a fierce hug. Gage leaned into the embrace, exchanging an apologetic look with Ianto. He hadn't intended to use Jack's distressed state to his own advantage; it was simply that Jack had looked so miserable that Gage had wanted nothing more than to offer whatever comfort he could.

"I've got you," Gage whispered. "It's all right, my love. Just let it out."

Gradually, though, Jack managed to get some control over his emotions, and withdrew from Gage's embrace with some reluctance. He looked around for Ianto with obvious reservation.

"I'm sorry, I screwed it up."

There was also a touch of defiance in his tone, but Ianto ignored it. Seating himself carefully on the edge of the desk and reaching out to take Jack's hand in his own, he spoke in a deliberately neutral tone.

"Why don't you tell us what happened? Then we'll work it out from there." Jack opened his mouth to speak, but Ianto cut him off. "I want the honest version, Jack. If you really did something wrong, be honest. If you weren't at fault, then don't try to take the blame. Just tell the truth."

His breath hitching as he fought to suppress the sobs, and clinging to both Ianto and Gage as though his very life depended on it, Jack told them what had happened. Then, only once he finished, did Ianto respond.

"I'm proud of you, Jack," he said quietly. Jack looked up at him in confusion.

"Why? I hurt him. I shouldn't have hurt him."

"No," Ianto agreed, "but considering where he tried to take you? Cariad, you could easily have killed him, but you didn't. I really am incredibly proud of you. Are you all right?"

"Not yet," Jack replied honestly. "But, I will be... I guess." His gaze shifted to Gage. "How...?"

"How is it that I'm here?" Gage asked, and Jack nodded. The Irishman sighed softly. "Well, I suppose now is as good a time as any to tell you lads what happened after I left the TARDIS. Which, by the way, was no fault of yours, sweetheart."

Jack's expression was clouded, giving precious little away of how he was really feeling. Gage, however, knew him well, despite his long absence from Jack and Ianto's lives. He still recognised Jack's shifts in mood, and knew how to deal with it.

"Look at me, sweetheart. C'mon, look at me."

Slowly, Jack lifted his gaze to meet Gage's, and his defiant expression softened somewhat at the care in Irishman's face. Gage took one of Jack's hands in his own, and carded his free hand soothingly through Jack's hair.

"Now, listen to me. What was the tipping point for me leaving was what happened that day in the TARDIS, and I know you know what I'm talking about. None of what happened that day was your fault. You didn't understand what was going on with your own body and my own embarrassment and stupidity caused me to deal with it, and you, in a way that only caused you fear and upset. I let myself be consumed with guilt over that, and I convinced myself that I'd lost your trust and staying on board would only cause you even more grief. I wouldn't listen to the Doctor when he tried to tell me otherwise, and I couldn't bring myself to face you or Ianto, so I left. It was the wrong decision, and I knew that not too long after I'd left but by then it was too late. I had no way to contact you lads again, so I was on my own. But none of it was your fault, sweetheart. You were not to blame for my foolishness, and I'm sorry that I caused you so much hurt. I just hope you can forgive me."

Slowly, the wariness on Jack's face faded, and a more furtive expression took its place.

"I think I can do that, but I think you owe me something for it."

Gage glanced back at Ianto, but the younger man's expression gave no hint that he knew what Jack was edging towards.

"I guess that's fair," he conceded, all the while suspicious that he was letting himself in for more than he was really prepared. "What do you want...?"

He'd barely finished the question when Jack pulled Gage down to him, and captured his lips in a prolonged and enthusiastic snog. Whether he was simply too stunned, or whether he remembered Jack's preferred method of greeting when they'd still been in the Canary Wharf facility, Gage never made any attempt to pull away and even reciprocated a little before Jack broke away.

"Now there's the 'hello' that I remember," Gage said with a grin, and Jack broke into a broad smile before throwing his arms around the other man in a ferocious hug.

"I missed you, Gage. Missed you so much."

"Missed you too, sweetheart," Gage murmured, taking obvious pleasure in the embrace. "Missed both you lads."

"You don't get out of it, though," Jack said, even while he hugged Gage to him. "I want to know what happened to you. The Doctor said you wanted to go home. How did you end up here in Cardiff?"

Slowly, Gage withdrew from Jack's embrace.

"I know I owe you both an explanation, but can we not do this here? Please, I'd rather be somewhere more private, if you know what I mean."

Jack looked across to Ianto, who nodded in concession.

"All right," Ianto said quietly. "Tonight at home, then. For now, we have alien tech to deal with, and I believe we have visitors to cater to?"

Jack reddened a little.

"The Brigadier and General Anderson. I guess I wasn't sure how you'd react to what happened, and..."

"And you wanted some support," Ianto said. "That's understandable, but I hope you believe me when I say I'm proud of how you handled it."

Jack nodded slowly.

"I think so. Thank you."

Ianto leaned in to kiss Jack lightly.

"Now, how about we go and join our guests? Maybe they can even help us with the tech we found."

"Coffee?" Jack asked hopefully, and Ianto answered with an indulgent smile.

"Of course, sir. You catch up with the tour group, and I'll get Gwen and Owen, and we'll wait for you in the Boardroom. Gage, do you want to go with Jack? You haven't seen all of the Hub yet."

"I think I might, at that," Gage agreed. "Jack? After you, lad."

Grinning, and almost recovered from his earlier trauma, Jack led the way from his office to go and find Tosh, The Brigadier and the General. Ianto watched them go with a fond smile before heading in the opposite direction to prepare the promised coffee, and summon his other two colleagues to the Boardroom.

* * *

_to be continued..._


End file.
